AITUC demands wage hike for MGNREGS workers

All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) national secretary Amarjit Kaur has called for hiking the remunerations being provided to workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS).

Inaugurating the first State conference of the AITUC-affiliated NREG Workers Federation here on Saturday, Ms. Kaur said that the workers of the employment scheme suffered discrimination and were being ignored by the government.

“The Central government has remained reluctant in bringing the workers under the ambit of the Minimum Wages Act. While the minimum wage in the agriculture sector has been set as Rs. 320, the remuneration provided for MGNREGS workers was Rs. 164 in Kerala, and similar is the situation in other States.”

Furthermore, several facilities including provision of drinking water and first aid kits in worksites guaranteed in the Act are not being provided in most places, the union leader alleged.